Safety locking device for cotton-beaters.



No. 639,685. Patented Dec. I9, `|899. J. OCNNELL. SAFETY LUGKING DEVICE FOR COTTON BEATEBS.

- (Application filed July 7, 1899.) (No Model.)

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.lOl-IN OOONNELL, OF CHIOOPEE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS A. AUMANN, OF SAME PLACE.

SAFETY LOCKING DEVICE FOR COTTON-BEATERS.`

SPECFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 639,685, dated December 19, 1899. Application filed July 7, 1899. Serial No. 723,116. (No model.)

4 is the casing ofthe exhaust-cylinder 5, (indicated only in dotted lines in Fig. 1.) isadoor-opening in the casing,through which 5 5 access may be had to the said cylinder and to the narrow passage in the part of the casing of the machine between said exhaust and beater cylinders, and indicated by 7. A rock-shaft 8 is located in proximity to the edges of said 6o door 6 and said cover 3, suitably supported on the frame ofthe machine, one end of said Yrock-shaft. lying in proximity to the drivingshaft l. On said driving-shaft is a disk 9, rigidly secured thereto between the pulley 10 65 and the end of the beater-cylinder and provided with one or more notches 11. An arm 12 on the end of the rock-shaft nearest the beater-cylinder is adapted to engage the edge of the cover 3 for the beater-arms when the 7o rock-shaft is swung toward the cylinders. On the opposite end of the rock-shaft is an arm 13, substantially in the same plane as the arm 12, and from the upper end of said arm 13 to the rock-shaft isa segment-shaped 75 member 14, a part of which is located in a plane nearer the edge of the cover 3 and door the invention applied thereto. Fig. 2 is a 6 than the plane ofthe said two arms 12 and side elevation showing the locking device in 13, as shown in Fig. 3. The latter-named engagement with the driving-shaft and the arms and the member 14 are preferably all 8o covers open. Fig. 3 is a plan view showing cast integral with the rock-shaft.

3o the position of the parts when said covers are The offset of the plane of the segmentopen and whereby the locking device is ren-y shaped member 14 beyond that of the arms dered inoperative to release the main shaft 12 and 13, as described, results in the formauntil the covers are closed. tion of a shoulder l5 at the upper end of the 85 In cotton-beaters and analogous machines arm 13, and when the rock-shaft is swung 35 the great majorit 1 of accidents to operatives toward the machine said shoulder overlaps occur eitherby puttingthe hand into the open the edge of the closed door 6, and the arm 12 beater-cylinder or through a door-opening engages the edge of the cylinder-cover 3, as justback of the beater-cylinder into the space shown in Fig. 1, and the segment-shaped 9o occupied by the exhaust-cylinder. The narmember 14 lies in a plane inside of the edges 4o row passage between said two cylinders freof said door and said cover. On said arm 12 quently becomes clogged and the operative is a lug 16, which projects outwardly toward will thrust his hand into said passage to clear the inside of the disk 9 and in position to enit, and if inserted too far the fingers will be gage the notch 11 in the said disk when the 95 struck by the beater-arms. The last-named rock-shaft 8 is swung outwardly; but when 45 operation isproductive of more accidents than the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 the first, for it may be effected safely if done i and the cover 3 and door 6 are locked, the with care, whereas only the most fool-hardy end of said lug lies close to the side of said would ever insert ahand into the beater-cyldisk, whereby the outward-swinging moveroo inder if the machine were in operation. ment of the rock-shaft 8 would be prevented 5o Referring to the drawings, 1 is the drivinguntil the notch 11 on the disk 9 is brought to shaft, having the beater-arms 2 thereon. 3 registering position with the lug 16 of the is the cover for said beater-arms. arm 12, and this is feasible only when the To @ZZ whom t may concern/f Be it known that I, JOHN OCONNELL, a citi- Zen of the United States of America, residing at Chicopee, in the county of Hampden and f 5 State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Safety Locking Devices for Ootton-Beaters, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to cotton-beaters ro and analogous machines, and has for its object the construction of locking devices for the covers of the beater-pylinder and other rotating parts of the machine, and adapted, when manipulated to unlock said cover, to

I 5 interlock with the driving mechanism, to the end that the actuation of the machine shall be made impossible while said cover parts are unlocked.

The invention consists in the construction zo which will be fully described farther on and clearly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings forming part of this speciication, Figure -1 is a perspective view of that part of a cotton-beater to which this in- 2 5 vention is particularly applicable and shows said disk is at rest. lVhen the machine has been brought to a standstill, the rock-shaft S may be swung outward to cause the said lug 16 to enter said notch 1l, and this brings the parts to the position shown in Fig. 3,where it will be seen that the member l-lies just outside the pat-h of movement of the edge of the door 6 and the cover 3 when they are opened, and said member is made of such shape that in their open position the said edges of said door and cover will be opposite some portion of said member, .whereby the swinging of the rock-shaft toward the machine far enough to cause the disengagement of the lng 16 and notch 11 will be rendered impossible.

It is apparent from the foregoing description that when either the door 6 orthe cover 3 are open the machine cannot bestarted, and Whenever the said door and cover are locked in a closed position neither of said parts can be opened without first stopping the machine.

The rock-shaft may bev swung by hand in either direction, and for the sake of convenience in starting the machine a rod 17, at tached to a dependingarm 18 on the under side of the rock-shaft, extends to the opposite side of the machine.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Pat ent of the United States, is-

1. In a cotton-beater or analogous machine,

the combination with the cover of the beatercylinder, and a door in the casing of the machine near said cylinder, and the driving mechanism of said machine, of a locking device movable between said door and cover and said driving mechanism, whereby i-t is door and cover in adapted to engage said disengaged from closed position upon being said driving mechanism, and inversely adapted to engage with the latter, upon disengagement from said door and cover, substantially as described.

2. In a cotton-beater oranalogous machine, a movable cover for the beater-cylinder, and a door giving access to said cylinder from behind, a locking mechanism for said door and coverconsisting of a swinging member adapted to lock said door and cover in closed position, a driving mechanism for said machine, and means on said swinging member for intercepting the movements ot' said driving mechanism, when said member is swung to permit the opening of either said door or said cover, substantially as described.

3. In a cotton-beater or analogous machine, a movable cover for a door giving access to said cylinder from behind, a locking mechanism for said door and cover consisting of a swinging member adapted to lock said door and cover in closed position, a driving mechanism for said machine, and means on said swinging member for intercepting the movements of said driving mechanism, when said member is swung to permit the opening of either said dooror said cover, and whereby the disengagement of said member with said mechanism cannot be effected While said door or cover is open, substantially as described.

` JOHN OCONNELL. Witnesses:

WM. H. CHAPIN, K. I. CLEMoNs.

the beater-cylinder, andv 

